


A Spark of Attraction

by kiwilicious



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, F/F, First Date, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, The Adventure Zone: Amnesty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-19
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2019-03-06 18:53:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13417488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiwilicious/pseuds/kiwilicious
Summary: Upon arriving in Kepler, West Virginia, Aubrey finds herself in Amnesty Lodge and meets Dani, a very cute and mysterious resident of the lodge. As they fall in love, they have to deal with the threat of Abominations as Aubrey learns the truth of her power.Tune is as Aubrey fulfills her role as Disaster Bisexual!





	1. A Hot Mess

**Author's Note:**

> It's only been two episodes and I just love Aubrey so much! I was very excited to write this!!  
> I know canon is just gonna destroy what I've built here but I don't care

Aubrey anxiously stared in the mirror, applying and removing different lipsticks until she settled on a dark plum color, which complimented her darker skin. She put a little bit of hairspray in her dark brown hair for body, but her hair was naturally curly and voluminous. It was longer on the top and shaved short on the sides. Aubrey took a step back to admire her full outfit: black combat boots, fishnet stockings, denim shorts, a Fall Out Boy t-shirt, and a denim jacket with a bunch of pins and patches. Her eye makeup was dark and dramatic, her brown eyes heavily lined with black eyeliner. She's spent her youth perfecting the goth-punk look, to the point where complicated eye makeup was second nature. She nervously sighed and exited the bathroom in her room at the Amnesty Lodge, grabbed her keys and wallet, and made her way down to the lobby.

Coming downstairs, she saw the few usual faces, and her eyes fell on Dani. Dani was sitting at the bar, her long, blonde hair cascading over her shoulders. She was wearing just some sneakers, blue jeans, a black tank top, and a bright red flannel loosely worn over top. Dani looked up at Aubrey and made her heart flutter as Dani's bright green eyes met her gaze. Her heart pounding, she descended the staircase as Dani smiled and stood up. She put on a bit of a stage presence to mask how nervous she was, pulling her shoulders back a bit and stood tall as she continued her graceful entrance. At the bottom of the stairs, Dani hugged her tight, which made Aubrey's heart pound.

"O-oh, uh," Aubrey stammered a bit, "you look so nice." Dani chuckled a bit at her nervousness.

"Oh thanks! You look amazing too!" Dani cheerfully replied. She leaned in and gave Aubrey a kiss on the cheek. "You ready to go?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. Where are we going?" Aubrey was trying to keep her voice even and play it cool. 

"You're new to Kepler, right? There's this great local restaurant I wanna take you to, and then I got a few plans for afterward." Dani was leaning close to Aubrey while they talked, which made her heart race. Aubrey was so good at being smooth and confident because of her job, but despite liking girls for most of her youth, she never learned to flirt with them. She couldn't help being awkward, which made her few relationships pretty short.

"Alright, well, let's head out then." Aubrey said while very tentatively reaching out to take Dani's hand. "We'll have to take my motorcycle. Is that okay?" Dani's eyes lit up.

"You have a motorcycle? That is so cool! Of course I wanna ride it!" Dani answered excitedly and squeezed Aubrey's hand. Aubrey smiled and led her out to her bike. The two of them put on their helmets and got seated on the bike. Dani sat right behind Aubrey and wrapped her arms around Aubrey's waist and held on tight. Settled in, the two set off.

After about a twenty minute ride, they arrived at this small restaurant nestled between a few older buildings. They walked in and were seated at a small table right by a big window that offered a nice view of the sun setting over the line of trees. Aubrey picked up the menu and scanned the page for something that caught her eye. The dishes were rather eclectic, ranging anywhere from Italian to Polish cuisine. After a moment Aubrey settled on a plate of fettuccine alfredo and a diet coke, and Dani got a bowl of potato soup with a glass of white wine. As the waiter departed with their order, the two looked at each other. 

"So, Aubrey, what's your story? How did someone like you end up in Kepler?" Dani asked as she leaned forward eagerly. 

"What do you mean, someone like me?" Aubrey asked, a tad defensively. 

"I just mean someone so suave and professional. You're nothing like anyone this town." Dani explained.

"Oh," Aubrey said quietly, relaxing a bit, "I thought you meant . . . Well, never mind. Long story short is I burned down a child's birthday party and then Mama dragged me here." 

"Oh my god. You burned down a child's party? That's wild. Are you okay?" Dani leaned further in and rested her hand on Aubrey's arm. Aubrey got distracted by how cool and soft her touch was. 

"Yeah! Yeah, nobody got hurt. And, uh, it wasn't the first time fire got away from me like that." Aubrey looked away out the window to deflect a bit of the vulnerability in the situation. It worked for a moment until Dani started gently rubbing her arm.

"Well, that's good. You'll get the hang of controlling it, I promise." Aubrey looked back into her warm eyes, and couldn't help but smile. Their moment of intimacy was interrupted by the waiter bringing over their food. While they ate, Dani started excitedly talking about Kepler and the history of the town. Aubrey couldn't really keep up, but she was enjoying how passionate Dani was. 

After they finished eating and arguing over who was paying, they set off towards Dani's destination. It had gotten completely dark, and after a while, they arrived at a small trail in the forest. They parked the motorcycle and began making their way up the trail, Dani leading the way. Eventually, they got to a small clearing in the trees with an old picnic table in the middle. They sit down at the table and settle in, watching the stars.

"This is beautiful," Aubrey sighed, staring at the sky. Her fascination was broken by the sound of Dani shivering. Immediately Aubrey shrugged off her denim jacket and offered it to Dani.

"Oh no, then you'll be cold! I'll be fine." Dani politely refused the jacket.

"Believe me, I don't have any trouble staying warm." Aubrey winked and generated a small puff of flame with her flash paper. Dani laughed and gently refused the jacket again. Aubrey almost tried summoning real fire, but the idea of that scared her. For now, she used her basic tricks. 

The two returned their gazes to the sky, pointing out constellations. After a bit, Aubrey noticed Dani was sitting a lot closer than she remembered. Aubrey traced a new constellation in the sky, and while she was telling a little story about it that she made up, Dani leaned her head on Aubrey's shoulder. Taken by surprise, her voice very noticeably wavered, which made Dani giggle. Aubrey was so distracted by the closeness that she trailed off her story, and Dani lifted her head to look at her. Aubrey met her gaze as a million thoughts raced through her head. Slowly, as Aubrey found herself being drawn in close to Dani, completely entranced. Shortly before their lips met, Aubrey softly put a hand on Dani's cheek and finally kissed her. It was slow and gentle, a tad awkward, but warm and enticing. Aubrey put her other hand on the small of Dani's back and pulled her close. Dani started to slide her hand up Aubrey's shirt, and she felt her body getting warmer. 

"Do you smell smoke?" Dani said as she pulled away. Aubrey opened her eyes and suddenly leaped off the bench.

"Your shirt's on fire! Oh shit oh my god!" Dani jumped up and shed her flannel, throwing it to the ground and stomping the flames out. After the initial panic wore off, she started giggling.

"You weren't kidding about staying warm!" Dani joked.

"Oh my god I am so sorry I'll buy you a new shirt!" Aubrey was full-on panicking now. 

"Oh don’t worry about it! I have like fifty of those." Dani started laughing harder. Aubrey sank down onto the bench and buried her face in her hands. Dani sat next to her and grabbed her hand. 

"I'm so sorry I'm still so new at all this I can't believe I did this on our first date I just-" Aubrey was interrupted by Dani tipping her face up and giving her a deep, passionate kiss. After a moment she pulls away and grabs her hand.

"Come on. Let's head back to the lodge before you burn the place down." Dani pulled her to her feet and the two set off for the lodge. It was a quiet ride back, with Dani holding on tight and Aubrey worrying about the events in the forest. Upon arriving at the lodge they stepped inside. Dani tried a few times to start a conversation, but to no avail.

"I'm sorry." Aubrey whispered, staring at the floor. Dani stopped talking for a minute. She gently put her face on Aubrey's cheeks and tipped her face up to meet her gaze.

"I had such a good time tonight. You're cute and funny and you're definitely something special." Dani said before kissing Aubrey on the forehead. "If you want, I can try to help you control your fire? I have a bit of experience in this area." Aubrey smiled helplessly as she stares into Dani's eyes.

"That, um . . . That sounds perfect, actually." Aubrey giggled a bit. Dani gave her a very tight hug before Aubrey returned to her room. She barely got out of view of Dani before losing herself in a fit of giggling and buried her face in her hands. Soon she could see Dani again, and that was all she could think about, even when she got to her room and changed into PJs and laid down into bed. She'd had a few dates before, but nothing like this.


	2. Heat of the Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani is committed to helping Aubrey control her fire powers. Aubrey is getting more confident around Dani but is still a pretty useless bisexual.

"Okay, Aubrey, just take a deep breath, and imagine you're gently pushing a force out through your forearms and out of your palms." Dani and Aubrey were sitting cross-legged and facing each other. They had their arms held out a bit, with their palms vertically facing each other. The two had their eyes closed and were deeply concentrating. They were sitting in the basement of the Amnesty Lodge, which was completely empty and made of stone and concrete, and they were both wearing comfortable tank tops and yoga pants. Aubrey was struggling a bit and tensing her arms trying to follow Dani's instructions. After a moment of struggling, she felt Dani gently touch her forearms and relaxed. Dani traced out a path along her arms for Aubrey to focus her power on. The soft and rhythmic rubbing put Aubrey in a focused trance. After a moment of this, Dani gasped, and when Aubrey opened her eyes she found a steady stream of flames hovering above her palms.

"Oh my god! I did it!" Aubrey exclaimed, bouncing up and down and giggling. She looked back at Dani who was beaming with pride. Aubrey smiled, and as her heart started pounding, the small flames on her palms turned into burning columns shooting up to the ceiling. Aubrey yelped and pulled her hands back, interrupting the stream and stopping the flames. She scurried backward a bit, eyes wide and panting. 

"It's okay, Aubrey. You did good! You're making progress!" Dani said calmly but proudly. She stood up and helped Aubrey to her feet. "Let's move on to another exercise." She walked over and hung up an old, metal dartboard on the wall. The two of them centered themselves in front of the target and breathed deeply.

"What's the plan?" Aubrey asked while bouncing up and down a bit.

"Alright. I want you to hold your hands out and, you know, shoot fire out of your hands. Easy peasy!" Dani said with a big grin.

"That's it? Just shoot fire? That's your plan?" Aubrey asked, raising her eyebrows. Dani just shrugged, and Aubrey sighed. "I guess I'll give it a shot." She held her palms up to the target and closed her eyes. After a few moments of deep concentration and tensing her arms, a tiny flame sputtered out of her palms. Dani studied her stance and started biting her lip.

"I wanna try something. Stay just like that." Dani said as she walked up behind Aubrey and wrapped her arms around her waist and gave her a big kiss on the cheek. Aubrey gasped in surprise as large flames shot out of her hands at the dartboard in a steady, continuous stream. "Now stay like you are but really understand how you're feeling. How your body feels. How your heart feels. Really take it in." Dani stepped back to give her some space to process. Aubrey took a deep breath, smiled, and shot out a big fireball before completely stopping the flames. Dani squealed with excitement and started clapping her hands.

"That was amazing," Aubrey was panting a little bit, "I can't believe it."

"I knew you could do it! It'll still take some practice but we have a foundation to work with now! And I have a surprise for you to celebrate!" Dani grabbed Aubrey's hands and squeezed them tight. "Let's go hit the hot spring, just the two of us! You deserve the relaxation."

"That sounds perfect." Aubrey sighed as she looked into her eyes. She felt her hands getting a bit hot after a moment, but she focused for a bit and cooled them back down. Aubrey smiled confidently, then pulled Dani in for a deep kiss. 

\-- -- -- 

Aubrey nervously walked out of the changing room and outside to the spring. She was dressed in a one-piece swimsuit that had the design of a ribcage with red flowers inside. After a moment she noticed Dani already in the empty pool, wearing a two-piece swimsuit with a pink floral pattern on it. Aubrey couldn't help but stare at her, gracefully lounging in the pool, though her staring was interrupted by Dani waving at her. Aubrey grinned and walked over to the pool and cannonballed in, making a large wave.

"Excellent. Ten out of ten." Dani giggled as Aubrey popped her head out of the water.

"Thanks. I try, you know. I like to make an impact." Aubrey said, floating over to meet her. "It's in the job description."

"You definitely have," Dani said before splashing Aubrey in the face. "let me tell you, outside of the lodge, this town hasn't seen anything like you." 

"Really? Because I've been here two weeks and I've seen more weird things that a whole season of the X-Files." Aubrey laughed.

"Well," Dani replied pensively, "yeah. Cryptids, non-humans, even magic-users, we're used to. But they've got nothing on you. You're strong and passionate and brave." She put her hand on Aubrey's shoulder and smiled.

"Oh god, that's so . . . " Aubrey blushed at the ambush of compliments. "That's so nice. But how do you figure brave"? 

"It's a lot of things about you. It's the fact that you're chasing your dream of becoming a magician despite not having the resources that others might have. That you're confident enough to dress like that in a place like West Virginia. Even just liking girls in this political climate is brave. Kepler may be a place where people are much more open-minded about sexuality, but the rest of this state? Not so much." Dani put a hand on Aubrey's cheek and gazed deeply into her eyes. "And you're experiencing the life-changing discovery of having fire magic and you're facing it head-on. You may be scared but that doesn't stop you. You're truly a force to be reckoned with, Aubrey." 

"I-uh . . . I . . . " Aubrey stammered, at a loss for words. "Thanks. I don't, uh . . . " She stared into Dani's stunning green eyes and found herself drifting towards her. Dani started leaning in too before she was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Hey, guys! How's it going?" Aubrey whipped her head around to see Jake Coolice.

"Jake I swear to god if you don't leave I will immolate you." She hissed at him as Dani giggled a bit. 

"Oh. Sorry! I'm interrupting, aren't I?" Jake stopped and held up his hands. "Alright, I'll leave you alone. you kids have fun." Jake spun around and began his exit.

"Bye Jake! I'll text you later!" Dani yelled after him and laughed. She looked back at Aubrey. "Now. Where were we?" She barely had time to finish before Aubrey pounced on her and kissed her eagerly.


	3. Safe and Warm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aubrey has a moment of self-reflection and vulnerability and takes a big step with Dani.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've just decided to go with my own canon to finish out this story. I hope you guys like it! I've got more planned so stay tuned!

"It was great seeing you today," Dani said, coming to a stop in front of Aubrey's lodge room and squeezing her hand tight.

"Oh, for sure!" Aubrey responded eagerly. "Same time tomorrow?"

"You bet!" Dani pulled her in and gave her a kiss on the cheek, then backed up a bit and waved goodbye before exiting down the hallway. Aubrey stared longingly after her, lost in her thoughts. After a bit, she snapped out of her daze and started grinning helplessly before making her way into the room. Upon entering she set her keys on the table by the door and flopped down on the bed. Over the past few months, she had started adding her own personal charm to her room and it started to feel like a home. She let out a long sigh and had almost dozed off when her phone went off. She quickly sat up and pulled her phone out of her pocket. She saw a text from Dani and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before she read it. 

-hey! random question but what's your shirt size?

Aubrey tilted her head and started to text a reply.

-extra large. why?

After a moment, her phone pinged.

-no reason!! :) can't a girl make small talk around here?? 

Aubrey grinned at Dani's sly deflection and changed the subject for her.

-so did you get around to listening to that album I told you about?

Aubrey waited patiently for a moment before getting up to walk over to the small pantry and grabbed a pop-tart and some rabbit food for Dr. Bonkers out of the cabinet. Her phone pinged.

-yes!! it was so good I can't believe he played every instrument and wrote every song for it! You can really hear the passion behind it

Aubrey giggled and climbed up to sit on the countertop and eat the pop-tart.

-ikr? I can't believe he said that it was just a silly side project of songs not good enough for his main band. they're masterpieces. what's your favorite song? mine is Dance Miserable

She started scrolling through Twitter while eating and waiting for a reply. After a moment another text came through

-oof that's a hard one. I'd have to say either Everybody Wants Somebody or Spotlight (both versions). but I do like Dance Miserable a lot lmao.

Aubrey smiled and hopped off of the counter and made her way to the bed, throwing away the pop-tart wrapper on the way. She dumped the rabbit food in a bowl and Dr. Bonkers crawled out from under the bed and started eating. Realizing she was still dressed up from her day with Dani, she changed into an old t-shirt that said "chicken nuggets turned me gay" and a gray pair of shorts. She sat on the bed again and stared at Dani's name on her phone. Her chest started aching and she set her phone down and closed her eyes.

"You know you shouldn't get too attached," Aubrey said quietly to herself. "You don't know how much longer you'll be here. Mama won't let you stay here rent free forever and you soon you'll be hopping between gigs and towns again." She slowly slid down into the floor. "Why even stay here anyway? If you stay here you'll just ruin things. That's what you're good at. There's a reason you have fire powers. Fire only destroys things and burns people. Dani would never want to be with a hot mess like you." Tears started falling down her face as she looked over at Dr. Bonkers, still perfectly content with his food. "What do you think?" Dr. Bonkers looked up at her and twitched his whiskers. The two made silent eye contact for thirty seconds before Aubrey started laughing. She sighed and reached over to grab a tissue to clean up her face. 

"Okay, Aubrey. Let's talk through this now. Just like your old therapist said. I've made friends here. I finally feel like you belong somewhere. These people have helped me understand myself. And Dani . . . " Aubrey sighed and looked up. "I've never met anybody like her. Even if she isn't into me I would be lucky to be her friend. I don't have to have it all figured out now. I just got to keep moving forward." Aubrey stood up and grabbed her phone off the bed. She felt bad to have left Dani hanging like that. As she started to text back there was a knock at her door. She quickly blew her nose and wiped away some stray tears and then opened the door. Standing there was Dani, looking worried.

"Oh hey, Dani!" Aubrey greeted her, trying to look like she wasn't just having a breakdown. "What's up?"

"Oh well, I uh . . . " Dani trailed off hesitantly. "This is gonna sound really weird but I was in my room and I just had a gut feeling that you were upset. And I'm guessing by your smeared makeup I was right?" Aubrey reflexively reached up to touch her face and laughed a bit.

"Oh yeah, it was dumb. Don't worry about it. I'm over it now." Aubrey would have sold that lie if her voice hadn't cracked a little bit. Dani stood there quietly and looked into Aubrey's eyes, then suddenly gave her a hug. Aubrey froze for a bit, then softened in her arms and hugged back. More tears started falling as the two quietly held each other for a while. Aubrey pulled away and wiped her tears before meeting Dani's eyes again. There was something about Dani's soft, kind face that just completely made Aubrey's anxiety melt away. Overwhelmed with emotions and swept up in the moment, Aubrey leaned in and kissed her. Dani kissed back and wrapped her arms around Aubrey's waist and pulled her close. Slowly Aubrey started to slide her hand up Dani's tank top, which made Dani jerk away. Aubrey opened her eyes and stepped back.

"Oh god, I'm sorry I don't know what I was thinking why did I do that I don't . . . " Aubrey trailed off as Dani grabbed her hand.

"Don't worry, Aubrey," Dani reassured, "I want this to happen. I just want to make sure you really want this too. I want to make sure that you're not doing it because you're upset or lonely." Aubrey took a deep breath.

"I do want this. I've wanted it since the moment I met you." Dani grinned and stepped inside, making her way to the bed while taking off her tank top. Aubrey took a deep breath, closed the door, and went to join her lover.


	4. Afterglow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the morning after Aubrey and Dani's special night and they share a moment of honesty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have this headcanon that even though everybody mocked the idea of calling abominations "Bom-Boms" they can't stop doing it now and have just resigned to it.
> 
> A lot of this romance I base off of my girlfriend and a lot of our experiences together. Fun fact haha

Sunlight crept into Aubrey's room between the blinds as morning arrived. She was slowly stirred awake as her phone chimed on the nightstand beside her. Aubrey grabbed her phone and read a text from Mama asking her to meet her in the lounge at noon. It was 7:43, so Aubrey put her phone down and, realizing that she was naked, started remembering what happened last night. She rolled over to see Dani still sound asleep, her blonde hair perfectly disheveled and her tank top flung over the headboard. Aubrey studied all the little details of her. Every freckle on her face, the lace on her bra, the little birthmark on her neck that she never noticed before. Aubrey smiled at the girl she was crazy about, peaceful and asleep in her bed.

"What are you staring at?" Dani asked without opening her eyes and smirked.

"I'm staring at your dumb face. Go back to sleep." Aubrey laughed and gave her a playful shove on the shoulder. Dani groaned a bit and finally opened her eyes. Aubrey stared into her green eyes, thinking how much she loved the flecks of gold around her iris. Dani reaches over and grabbed her hand.

"So? How do you feel about last night?" Dani asked, sliding closer to Aubrey.

"Oh, man, it was . . . " Aubrey sighed, "wow." Dani grinned.

"That good? Wow, I should do this more often." Dani squeezed her hand and gave Aubrey a kiss. 

"Well, I, uh . . . I had never done this before." Aubrey mumbled and hid her head under the blanket.

"Oh my god, really? I was your first?" Dani sat up and stared at the lump under the covers that was Aubrey.

"I'm sorry," Aubrey peeked out from under the blanket, "I should have told you." Dani laughed and shook her head.

"No Aubrey, don't worry. It's none of my business. I just feel bad because I'm still relatively new to human relationships, and ideally your first time would have been with someone with more experience." Aubrey sat up as well and looked at her. Dani flashed a kind smile and reached over to check her phone. Aubrey stood up to stretch and look for her clothes. 

"Have you seen my shorts?" Aubrey asked as she picked through the mess they made of the room.

"Check the foot of the bed," Dani answered while looking at her phone. "Mama wants me to meet up with her at noon. I wonder what for."

"She texted me that too. Guess we can meet her together." Aubrey found her clothes as Dr. Bonkers scurried out from under the bed. "Oh jeez, buddy! I forgot you were here! I'm sorry you had to experience that stuff last night." Aubrey crouched down to give him a few pets. 

"We've got some time to kill, you want to get breakfast?" Dani climbed out of bed to find her clothes as well. 

"Sounds good. Although I think right now I need a shower." Aubrey backed up towards the bathroom and gave Dani a big wink. She slipped into the bathroom, and Dani sat there for a moment before hastily following her in and unhooking her bra.

\-- -- -- -- -- 

It was 11:49 and the two of them were finishing up their brunch together while waiting for Mama. They were having a good conversation when Barclay came over and asked if they needed anything else. Aubrey was about to answer when she noticed him glanced down at their intertwined hands and raised an eyebrow.

"We're good, Barclay. Thanks." Dani replied. "Do you know what Mama wanted to talk to us about?" 

"She hasn't mentioned anything to me. She talked to Ned and Duck yesterday, but I don't know if it's related." Dani nodded.

"Thanks, Barclay," Dani said, and he nodded and left. Shortly after his departure Mama appeared and made her way over.

"Hello, you two. Did you two sleep well?" Mama asked and put her hand on their shoulders. Dani and Aubrey shared a look and smiled just a bit. Mama tilted her head just a bit and chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes. Anyway, I've got an important task for you two regarding some Bom-Boms. For now, I just need you to do some recon. We can decide what to do after you gather some information. Does that sound good to you two?" Aubrey perked up and grinned.

"Yes! A mission! You can count on us, Mama!" Aubrey went to raise both of her hands in the air and accidentally smacked Dani's arm against the table, forgetting they were holding hands. Mama chuckled, gave them the details of their mission, and left them at their table. Aubrey waited until she was gone and leaned in close to Dani.

"Do you think she suspects we're a thing?" Aubrey whispered dramatically, giggling. Dani rolled her eyes and chuckled back.

"Yes, Aubrey, she's very intuitive." Dani squeezed Aubrey's hand, then leaned over the table and kissed her.


	5. In From the Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some time has passed, and it's now early winter in Kepler, West Virginia. Aubrey and Dani have gotten pretty comfortable in their relationship, and they can finally put it into words, but change is always around the corner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very sorry for not updating this for six months (I fell behind on Amnesty and only recently caught up) but we're back! And I promise I'll finish it in a timely manner now! 
> 
> This takes place shortly before the third monster hunt (episode 13) so I don't believe there are any spoilers.

"Aubrey, it's snowing. We can't go to the drive-in on your motorcycle. It will be uncomfortable and we'll freeze to death." Dani could barely speak through her shivers. She looked down at Aubrey, kneeling and trying to melt the snow around the base of her motorcycle, who then paused and looked up at Dani.

"But motorcycles are cool," Aubrey sighed, "and I don't have a car." She stood up to look at Dani, who was bundled up in several coats as opposed to Aubrey's light faux leather jacket. Aubrey rubbed her palms together a bit and held them to Dani's cheeks, gently radiating heat to warm her up. Dani smiled and put her hands over Aubrey's, and then lightly poked her nose. 

"Let's just borrow Mama's truck. It has a heater and it's better for driving on the icy roads and not crashing and dying." Dani laughed and pulled Aubrey's hands off her face and held them for a moment before leading her back inside the lodge. "Wait here and I'll go ask Mama." Dani left and Aubrey sat down on the couch in the lobby. She glanced around the room and began bouncing her leg up and down and flicking a small flame between her fingers. Her mind began to wander. 

It had been about five months since Aubrey arrived in Kepler, and a lot had happened. She had completed two successful hunts, been to Sylvain, began learning to control her powers, and had gotten involved with Dani. She thought about her their relationship. Aubrey had never experienced anything like what she had with Dani. They've hit the point where they've stopped counting dates and just spend time together. They've spent the night with each other. They're very open with affection in the lodge (slightly less so in town but it's gotten easier over time). Aubrey stared into space for a little while, lost in her thoughts. She snapped out of it when she felt some heat by her foot. She looked down and realized she'd dropped her flame on the ground and there was a tiny flame on the carpet. She quickly stamped it out and sighed. She looked over to the staircase and saw Dani coming back down and smiled. 

"You're back! Did you get the keys?" Dani smiled and held up Mama's keyring. 

"She had a bunch of questions for what we were doing but she wants us to have fun." Dani laughed and tossed the keys to Aubrey. "She's like my mother."

"She's definitely a mama bear." Aubrey laughed, and then paused for a moment. "Can I ask you something, Dani?"

"Of course," Dani replied.

"Are we girlfriends?" Aubrey asked, reaching up to grab Dani's hand. Dani laughed and kneeled down in front of Aubrey, then put her hand on Aubrey's cheek.

"Oh, Aubrey," Dani whispered softly. "No fucking shit." Aubrey bust out laughing and Dani smiled. "I thought that was pretty obvious. It's been five months and we've slept together."

"Well, yeah, it sounds dumb when you put it that way," Aubrey said with a smile. "I guess I just didn't want to make any assumptions and then I didn't really think about it too hard." Dani stood up and pulled Aubrey to her feet.

"You know I care about you." Dani leaned in and kissed Aubrey on the forehead.

"Hey Dani," Aubrey said with a grin and bounced a little bit.

"Yes?" she replied.

"You're my girlfriend," Aubrey giggled before kissing Dani on the cheek.

"Yeah, yeah. We're gonna miss the movies if we don't head out." Dani rolled her eyes with a chuckle and pulled Aubrey by the hand over to the door leading out of the lodge. 

"I'm coming, I'm coming."

\-- -- -- -- -- 

It was about midnight when the movies ended and Aubrey was driving Mama's truck back to the lodge. Dani was dozed off in the passenger seat and one of Mama's CDs was playing quietly so as not to wake her. The drive-in was completely empty and it was too cold to roll the windows down so they couldn't really hear the movies, and plus the theater decided to air the strange double feature of Love, Simon and A Quiet Place. They had fun regardless, acting out what the characters were saying in lieu of the movie dialogue. 

They had a quiet ride back, and a light snowfall was drifting in front of the headlights. Aubrey glanced at Dani, sleeping soundly and looking serene. Aubrey looked at her, but unfortunately didn’t notice the pothole in front of her and sank right into it, jarring Dani awake with a start. 

"Shit!" Aubrey exclaimed. "I hit a pothole, babe. We're fine." Dani looked at Aubrey and laughed a bit.

"I like it when you call me babe." Dani said sweetly, followed with a yawn. Aubrey grinned and grabbed Dani's hand, holding it until she dozed off again. 

After a while, they arrived back at the lodge. Aubrey gently nudged Dani awake and the left the truck and entered the lodge. They went upstairs to Mama's room to return her keys. After knocking on her door, Dani stood behind Aubrey and wrapped her arms around her stomach, still sleepy and leaning her head on Aubrey's shoulder. Mama answered the door and they returned her keys. Mama asked how their night was and they had a bit small talk before heading up to Aubrey's room. Upon arrival, Dani opened the door and walked in, shed her layers of coats, and flopped down on the bed. Aubrey chuckled a bit and took off her jacket, kicked off her converse, and changed into her flannel pajamas. She grabbed another pair of pajamas and threw them on Dani's head.

"At least change into something comfortable instead of sleeping in jeans like a heathen," Aubrey said with a chuckle as Dani moaned. She sat up and changed into the pajamas that were provided and then crawled under the covers. Aubrey went into the kitchen and opened the pantry. "Do you want some tea?"

"No," Dani said, her voice muffled under the blankets. "I want you to come be big spoon." Aubrey smiled at that and closed the pantry. She walked back in and turned the lights off, then crawled into bed, snuggled up against Dani's back, and let out a contented sigh. Dani fell asleep almost immediately, but Aubrey laid awake for a while. Her mind wandered as the hours ticked away. Her thoughts were interrupted by Dani mumbling quietly. 

"Did you say something, babe?" Aubrey whispered. 

"Jake, put that cat down," Dani repeated slightly louder. Aubrey giggled quietly as Dani stirred slightly. "Jake, there's no cats allowed at Disneyland." 

"You’re cute when you talk in your sleep." Aubrey didn’t expect a response and was enjoying the one-sided conversation.

"Aubrey, we have to get that cat off of Splash Mountain, he's so wet and sad." Dani kept talking and Aubrey had to bury her face in the pillow to muffle her laughter. "Aubrey?"

"Yes, Dani?" Aubrey replied, closing her eyes and smiling. 

"I love you, but I'm too scared of Donald Duck," Dani mumbled, still completely out of it. Aubrey's eyes flew open and she laid quiet for a minute, completely stunned. Did she really just say that? Dani kept talking, but Aubrey didn't know what to say. She squeezed Dani softly and after a little while, Dani quieted down. Aubrey had an even harder time sleeping now, her thoughts racing at what she heard, but eventually, she managed to drift off to sleep


	6. Steam in the Moonlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aubrey is at a loss for what to do about Dani's sleepy confession and seeks guidance from Duck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I ever mentioned how much I love Duck? Cause I really love Duck.

Aubrey slowly stirred awake the next morning to the sound of dishes clanging in the kitchen. She rolled over to see that the bed was empty. She stretched and yawned before sitting upright, then reached over and grabbed her phone; the clock on it said that it was 11:36. After a couple minutes of scrolling through Instagram, she stood up and went to the kitchen. Dani was in the process of frying up some eggs and hash browns. She was humming dancing a little bit as she cooked, and Aubrey quietly leaned against the wall and watched with a smile. 

"Good morning, Aubrey," Dani chirped and turned around. "Breakfast - or brunch? - is almost done!"

"Good morning," Aubrey chuckled, "and thanks. It smells delicious."

"Well, I'm no Barclay, but I know a few tricks," Dani said before turning back around to finish cooking. Aubrey walked over to the dishwasher and pulled out two plates and some silverware and set them on the table before taking a seat. Dani walked over to the table to serve the food, and as she did Aubrey noticed that Dani was wearing her Skull Thrasher apron, which made her feel warm inside. Dani sat down and Aubrey took a bite of the hash browns.

"Oh my god this is amazing," Aubrey said with a moan, and Dani's face lit up with pride.

"Thanks, hon," Dani smiled and began eating as well. They sat quietly for a little bit before Aubrey broke the silence.

"Do you know you talk in your sleep?" Aubrey asked.

"Oh, do I?" Dani replied. "I didn't know that. Did I say anything interesting? I can't remember what I was dreaming about." 

"Apparently there was a cat at Disneyland? And you were very distressed about it." Aubrey laughed and shook her head.

"You know, now I think I remember a Disneyland vibe to the dream," Dani said as she blushed a bit. "I'm sorry I kept you awake. Did I say anything else?" Aubrey thought for a moment as she chewed.

"Some other stuff that I couldn't understand. That was the only notable part." Aubrey stared down at her plate. "You didn't keep me up. I couldn't sleep anyway." 

"Oh that's good," Dani smiled. "Oh! Have I told you about what Jake did a few days ago?"

"No," Aubrey looked up at Dani. "What did he do?" Dani began telling her story and Aubrey tried very hard to pay attention, but her mind kept wandering as she looked at her girlfriend. Dani didn't remember what she said last night, but did she mean it? Maybe she did but she's not ready to say it while she's awake. Or maybe she doesn't realize she feels that way. Aubrey stared at Dani a bit more. Maybe she doesn't even feel that way and it was just a dream that meant nothing. 

"Isn't that just buckwild, Aubrey?" Dani laughed at the conclusion of her story.

"God yeah," Aubrey chuckled. "Jake is a wild child for sure." Aubrey has always had a habit of spacing out in conversations, so she had perfected pretending she was listening. They both finished their food put and got dressed for the day.

"Alright, I gotta run into town to run some errands for Mama. You wanna come with?" Dani asked, grabbing her coats and keys and getting ready to leave the room.

"I can't today, I got some stuff I gotta do to prep for the next hunt," Aubrey replied, putting on her combat boots. "but maybe tonight we can hang out again."

"Sounds good, hon," Dani said and walked over to give Aubrey a kiss. "I'll catch you later." She left the room and Aubrey sat on the bed staring at the door. Aubrey lied about having plans, she just needed some time to process. She laid back on the bed and stared at the ceiling, and looked at her phone. In a moment, she knew what she needed, and began to make a phone call.

"Hey, Duck. You busy? I got something important I wanna talk to you about."

\-- -- -- -- -- 

"Well, Aubrey, when you said you wanted to talk about something important, I had assumed it was about Pine Guard business." Duck said as they sat at a table in the dining room of Amnesty Lodge.

"Is that why you brought the sword?" Aubrey asked, staring at Beacon laying on the table beside Duck's coffee. She started to reach over to touch it but decided against it.

"Well, yes, and now I'm regretting it deeply." Duck sighed as he moved Beacon to the next table over. "Well, now, let's talk then. What did you want to talk about?"

"Well, last night I was cuddling my girlfriend, Dani. You know Dani? From the lodge?" Aubrey asked, a bit nervously. She hadn't spent a lot of time with Duck outside of the monster-hunting business, and she didn't know how he'd react.

"Dani, huh?" Duck crossed his legs and chuckled. "Alright, interesting. I'll admit, I don't keep up with affairs of the residents of the lodge, but maybe I should. What happened last night?"

"Well she was sound asleep, and I was awake, and then she started to talk," Aubrey began to explain.

"Oh, yes. I know a few sleeptalkers. They get wild once they're knocked out. What'd she say?" Duck actually seemed invested, which was a pleasant surprise for Aubrey.

"Well she said some random shit about Disneyland and a cat, and I was in the dream." Aubrey sighed. "And then she said she loved me? In her sleep? She didn't remember any of it in the morning, and I didn't tell her. Does it mean anything? Like, should I be obsessing over this like I am? Or should I let it go? What does it mean, Duck?"

"Well, Aubrey," Duck said pensively, "it's been a while since I was your age, and a lot has changed. But if you want my opinion, I'd say the dream doesn't matter." Duck watched Aubrey as she sighed a bit and slumped down a bit. "There is something very important about your story though." Aubrey perked up a bit in response.

"There is? What is it?" Aubrey leaned in close, and Duck grinned, then took a long sip of his coffee. Aubrey got antsy waiting for his answer, but the silence was broken by Beacon's voice muffled in the scabbard.

"Duck Newton! You must tell her that she loves this Dani!" Duck rolled his eyes and set his mug down. 

"For fuck's sake, Beacon, I was gonna tell her," Duck looked at the sword and put his hands in the air. "I wanted her to figure it out."

"My apologies, Duck Newton. I will abstain from involving myself in petty troubles of mortals." Beacon said, then went silent. Duck sighed and looked back at Aubrey, who was wide-eyed.

"Well, yeah." Duck continued. "You're obsessing over it because you love her and you want to be able to say it out loud. I don't know where she's at, you would know that better than I would, but if it feels right, then go for it." Aubrey looked down at the table for a moment, trying to process this information. She sent a quick text and then stood up from the table. 

"You know what, Duck? This has helped a lot, actually. Thanks." Aubrey said with a smile, and Duck replied with his own warm, kind smile. "And thanks for being cool with the, uh . . . Girl/girl thing." Duck laughed.

"Not a problem, Aubrey. I've had a few boyfriends in my day. I know what it's like." Duck took a sip of his coffee, and Aubrey stood stunned with a grin for a second. 

"Fuck yeah, Duck!" Aubrey held her hand up, to which Duck gave her a high five and chuckled. Aubrey thought for a moment. She gave Duck a hug, then ran out of the lodge. 

\-- -- -- -- -- 

Aubrey floated nervously in the hot springs, waiting for Dani. It was about seven o'clock, and the sun was already down. After a couple minutes Dani hurried over to the springs and hopped right in, sighing from the heat. They both swam to the seats in the shallow end and settled in. They laced their hands together and looked up at the almost full moon shining through the clouds. Dani leaned her head on Aubrey's shoulder and they sat in content silence for a while, just enjoying each other's closeness. Eventually, it began to snow lightly, and Aubrey held up her free hand above her head to watch the snowflakes hit her palm and immediately turn to steam. She chuckled a bit, and Dani held her hand up too. Aubrey sighed serenely.

"Hey Dani," Aubrey said quietly.

"Yes?" Dani replied.

"I . . . " Aubrey hesitated. Her heart began to pound. She hadn't actually prepared herself for this. "I wanted to know if you would mind watching Dr. Bonkers next Sunday." her eyes widened as she silently mouthed the word "why".

"Oh," Dani said. "Sure thing. I love spending time with him."

"Thanks a bunch. I worry about him a lot." Aubrey sounded chill but she was internally having a crisis. They sat silently for a bit more before Dani yawned and they decided to get out. Dani got out first.

"Hey, Aubrey?" Dani asked as she immediately wrapped herself up in a towel. 

"What's up?" Aubrey said as she started to pull herself out of the pool.

"I love you." Dani looked up at the sky and smiled. 

"What?" Aubrey asked quickly and looked up in surprise. Her hand slipped on the wet ground and she fell back down in the spring, smacking her face on the edge of the pool.

"Oh god, Aubrey!" Dani yelled as she kneeled down by the poolside. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine! I'm fine!" Aubrey lied as tears welled in her eyes and blood started to pour down her forehead. Dani helped her out of the pool and sat her on a nearby bench while Dani went to grab the first aid kit. She came back and cleaned up Aubrey's deep cut on her forehead and bandaged it up. The blood may have stopped, but the tears didn't. 

"I'm so sorry, Aubrey. That was just the worst timing." Dani said quietly as she kissed both of Aubrey's cheeks. Aubrey laughed through the tears and shook her head.

"You're fine, Dani. I'm just klutzy." Aubrey touched a hand to Dani's cheek and then kissed her tenderly. After a moment she pulled back. "It's probably obvious, but I love you too." Dani laughed and hugged her tight.


	7. Flashfire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Directly after the tragic events at Leo's General Store, Aubrey has a lot to unpack and figure out. Dani tries to comfort her, but she's not sure how to help. She offers one powerful solution, but at a great cost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Major spoilers for episode 14 (definitely listen to it before you read this!)
> 
> That new episode made me FEEL some FEELINGS (thanks Travis). I have no idea what's gonna happen next in the story and I'm probably way off base from what will be canon but you know ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ what can you do?

The sun had set behind the mountains as the door to Amnesty Lodge swung open slowly. A few people looked up to see who was at the door, but most of the guests paid it no mind. Dani sat in front of the fire and turned around to see Aubrey standing at the door, soaking wet from the snowstorm, and staring blankly at the floor in front of her. Dani jumped up and ran to her and began talking, trying to see if Aubrey was okay, but Aubrey couldn't hear her. Dani sounded so far away and Aubrey was incapable of responding. All she could do is remember, the scene of the fire in her home just flashing in pieces on repeat in her brain. It felt so far away, almost fabricated, but she knew it was real. After a moment she realized that she was on her knees. Aubrey felt like she was watching a movie of herself as Dani picked her up off of the floor and carried her upstairs to her room, then set her down on her bed. After a few moments of quiet, Aubrey snapped out of her daze a bit.

"Aubrey? Are you hurt? Jake told me what happened at the general store." Dani said in a quiet voice, trying not to overwhelm her. Aubrey shook her head slowly. Dani took a deep breath. "Do you just need some quiet time until you're ready to talk?" Aubrey nodded at that, and Dani wrapped the two of them up in the comforter on the bed and just held Aubrey for a while. To fill the silence gently, Dani hummed quietly. 

About an hour passed before there was a knock on Aubrey's door. Dani kissed Aubrey on the forehead before standing up to answer it. Upon opening the door, they both saw Duck standing at the door.

"Oh, hey there Dani," Duck greeted. "Sorry to bother you two, I just wanted to check on Aubrey." Aubrey stared wide-eyed at Duck for a moment before throwing off the comforter and running to the door. She threw herself at Duck and hugged him tight and began sobbing into his shirt.

"I'm so sorry Duck I'm sorry I'm sorry-" Aubrey was barely comprehensible as she just repeated herself. Duck froze for a second before hugging her back.

"It's okay, Aubrey." Duck was trying his best to be soothing, though it wasn't his strong suit. "Surely you've noticed that I am pretty unkillable. You were just trying to help. Thank you, Aubrey. Leo's okay. I'm okay. Even Ned's okay."

"I didn’t mean to hurt her!" Aubrey yelled before going silent and just sobbing quietly. Dani watched for a moment before hugging her from behind, sandwiching Aubrey between her and Duck. The three of them stood quietly for a little while before Aubrey let go of Duck. Duck took a step back and looked Aubrey in the eyes and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Thank you for helping today. I don't know if I would have gotten to the store in time if it wasn't for you." Duck paused for a moment before continuing. "You've got people that love you, Aubrey. If you ever need me for anything, don't hesitate to ask." Duck gave her one final hug before leaving. Aubrey closed the door and stared at it for a moment before turning back to Dani.

"Thank you," Aubrey whispered quietly. Dani put her hand on Aubrey's cheek and smiled sweetly.

"I know exactly what you need right now," Dani said with a confident nod before leaving the room. Aubrey stared at the door for a moment before turning back to the bed to sit down. About five minutes later Dani returned, out of breath and holding something in her hand. Closing the door behind her, Dani presented a box of dinosaur-shaped fruit snacks. Aubrey's eyes widened as she let out a loud, genuine laugh. Dani sat down beside her and opened the box, removing a single small package and handing it to Aubrey. Aubrey then tore open the package and threw her head back and dumped the entire package into her mouth. Dani just stared at her and laughed. Aubrey gave a thumbs up as she chewed.

"Delicious!" Aubrey said with a smile.

"Well, that's one way to do that." Dani laughed and tore open her package, popping a single fruit snack into her mouth. They continued munching quietly until Aubrey broke the silence.

"You ever remember something so important that you can't believe you could forget it?" 

\-- -- -- -- -- 

Time passed as Aubrey explained her story to Dani. They faced each other on the bed as they split the box of fruit snacks.

"So yeah. That definitely happened. And I'm kinda freaking out." Aubrey told her story while sitting cross-legged on her bed, looking down at the bed. Dani stared wide-eyed and nodded a bit nervously.

"Jesus, Aubrey, that's . . ." Dani reached out and grabbed Aubrey's hand. "That shit's bananas. I'm sorry that happened to you."

"Like, I just keep thinking, how could I forget it? Sometimes I feel like I'm making it up but . . . I know better. It was so long ago but I remember." Aubrey squeezed Dani's hand to ground herself. "It just keeps replaying in my brain and even when I'm thinking of something else it's still playing in the background and every time I really think about it I feel this dull pain in my chest and god it just hurts." Aubrey was welling up in tears again. "I don't know how to make this pain go away." Dani sighed a bit and shook her head.

"I know I can't, like, cure this, and it won't really help you long-term, but . . . " Dani paused for a moment. "But could I kiss you?" 

"Yes, please," Aubrey said with a small smile. Dani put a hand on Aubrey's cheek and slowly leaned in and kissed her slowly and softly. Aubrey sighed contentedly. She pulled away a bit and then leaned her forehead against Dani's. 

"I don't usually do this, but there's this thing I can do. It's a power I have. It can kinda dull your pain for a little while. It takes a lot out of me so I can really only do it once, but the process itself is pretty uncomfortable. I'm hoping that it can take the edge off of the immediate pain. You don't have to do it, I just wanted to offer it to you." Dani took both of Aubrey's hands into her own and looked her in the eyes. "Please think about this before you decide. It'll probably feel pretty shitty when I do it but I believe it will help in the long term." Aubrey was stunned. She had no idea how to react. She looked down and shook her head.

"No, I . . . I can't ask you to do this for me. This isn't your problem." Aubrey kept shaking her head until Dani reached out and tipped her chin up to meet her gaze.

"Aubrey, I love you," Dani said softly. "I would do anything to help you. Don't worry about me. What do you need?" Aubrey stared quietly for a little while, unsure.

"Okay." Aubrey whispered. Dani took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She put both hands on Aubrey's head and held tight enough for it to be uncomfortable but not painful. Aubrey watched nervously as Dani began concentrating. For a moment, nothing happened, but soon Aubrey noticed Dani's skin starting to glow. Then her blonde hair began to float as if it was underwater and Aubrey's eyes went wide. Soon Dani glowed bright enough that Aubrey couldn't see anymore, and her eyes rolled back in her head as she went unconscious. 

\-- -- -- -- -- 

Aubrey woke up and sat upright in her bed. She looked around at the dark room quickly, panting and trying to process what happened. Once she realized where she was, the panic and confusion turned to horror as she saw her childhood bedroom. She slowly stood up out of the bed as she heard a bang downstairs, and a man's voice. She ran to her door and flung it open before tripping on her backpack on the floor. She stumbled outside as she lost her balance and fell forward, slamming her head on the railing to the staircase. She fell to the floor and cursed quietly to herself as she stood back up. Once back on her feet, she looked down. On the ground, she saw herself, unconscious. Then she saw her legs, translucent and phasing through her arm stretched out from her body. Before she had time to process what was happening, she found herself face to face with a tall, thin man in a ski mask. In front of him, he had a gun outstretched, pointing through Aubrey's chest. Aubrey turned around to see her mother, staring down this man.

"I don't care what you do to me, but if you lay a finger on my daughter I will destroy you." Aubrey had never seen her mother like this. The masked man glanced down at the unconscious girl laying on the floor.

"Here's a bargain for you. I'm gonna take that expensive looking necklace and you're gonna let me go. Because I have a gun. And you don't." The man said as another masked man appeared and grabbed his shoulder.

"What are you doing? You can't just kill her!" The other man said as Aubrey realized with horror that this man was Ned Chicane. She would know his voice anywhere. 

"I won't have to kill her if she just lets me grab that necklace. What do you say, lady?" The other man smirked. Time seemed to slow down as Aubrey watched three different events unfold seemingly simultaneously. Ned reached out to try to grab the gun from his partner. His partner pulled the trigger in the scuffle. Aubrey's mother felt the bullet pierce her chest as she became enveloped in flames. Once Ned wrestled the gun away, his partner made a break for the Flamebright Pendant. Aubrey's mother stretched her hand out as a beam of flames fired out of her palm at Ned and his partner. Ned grabbed his partner by the hand and attempted to drag him downstairs to escape, but not before feeling the fireball slam him in the back and letting out a pained yelp and collapsing. Ned picked him up and helped him down the stairs as Aubrey saw her mother's flame-covered body collapse on to the ground and set the carpet ablaze. Aubrey tried to scream as the scene went completely white. Her mother, her body, the burglars, they all disappeared as she found herself in a completely white room. She turned around to see a doorway, and in it stood Dani, looking solemn with tear-stained cheeks and holding her hand out. Aubrey ran to her and as she grabbed her hand, and everything went black.

\-- -- -- -- --

Aubrey was lying face down on her bed, completely unconscious, as Dani snapped out of her trance. She gasped and scrambled backward in a panic before falling off the bed. She stood up off of the floor and began pacing around the room, panting and shaking her head. She ran to the bathroom to splash some water on her face in an attempt to calm herself down. She looked at herself in the mirror and began to completely hyperventilate. She stripped down and climbed in the shower and turned on the scorching hot water. She put both hands on the wall in front of her to brace herself as she broke down sobbing, unable to catch her breath. She felt a heavy, dull ache in her chest. She saw everything. She felt all of Aubrey's pain and fear. She stood there completely helpless and panicked. Slowly she slid down the shower wall until she was sitting down. She hugged her knees and sobbed.

After a while, Dani ran out of energy to cry and just stared at the shower wall, completely numb. She might have sat there for hours had it not been for hot water running out. Suddenly ambushed by icy water, she gasped and reached out to turn the water off. She stood up out of the tub and reached for a towel and Aubrey's bathrobe. She wrapped her hair in the towel and put the robe on and walked back to Aubrey's bed. She took a deep breath and reached out and held Aubrey's hand, and waited for her to wake up.

After about an hour Aubrey jerked awake. Dani perked up and squeezed her hand. Aubrey sat up and looked around the room before locking eyes with Dani. She smiled sweetly.

"Oh hey, Dani! I feel like I had a dream about you," Aubrey chirped. "You're wearing my bathrobe."

"Oh, yeah, I took a shower here. I hope you don't mind." Dani replied warily. Aubrey shrugged.

"No, it's cool. I feel like I need a shower too." Aubrey began to stand up before Dani pulled her back down and leaned forward intensely.

"Aubrey, how do you feel about the house fire?" Dani asked rather bluntly. Aubrey's tilted her head quizzically. 

"What house fire?"


	8. Ashes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aubrey is missing her most painful memory, and Dani is feeling the full weight of it. As the consequences of Dani's actions are becoming clear, she must figure out how to help Aubrey without losing herself to her traumatic past.

"Was there a house fire? Shit, that sounds terrible." Aubrey shook her head. "I hope everybody's okay." She reached in front of her and grabbed the last package of fruit snacks from the box, then chucked the box into the trash can. Dani just stared at Aubrey, wide-eyed and frozen still. She watched Aubrey tear open the packet of fruit snacks and dump the entire pack into her mouth like she had done before. 

"But . . . but, Aubrey," Dani said hesitantly, "what about your mother?"

"I wonder how she's doing," Aubrey said with a smile. "I should call her. She would want to hear all about you." Aubrey pulled out her phone and was about to dial when Dani snatched it out of her hands.

"No!" Dani shouted. Aubrey stared at her bewildered. "I, uh . . . We're going to be late! You napped too long and we're going to be late." 

"Did we have plans? Shit, I must have forgotten. Do I have time to shower?" Aubrey looked lost. Dani checked her phone. It was 8:37, and Dani desperately tried to think up something to do tonight, and this late at night. She could only think of one thing.

"If you shower quickly, we can make it," Dani said before going into the bathroom to get her clothes and getting dressed.

\-- -- -- -- --

Dani sat at a small table in a small, skeevy dive bar. She stared on the tiny stage at the edge of the bar where her girlfriend was drunkenly singing "We Didn't Start The Fire", painfully unaware of the irony. As it turns out, the only last minute late night event that was happening in Kepler was Karaoke Night at a bar called The Drunken Skunk. The bar was nearly empty and the only person interested in singing was Aubrey, who was on her fourth song since they got there. Dani just sat at the table and cheered when the song ended, but her thoughts were racing. How could she have just erased Aubrey's memory like that? Her power had never reacted like that before. It was supposed to just dull the pain for a little while. It wasn't supposed to make both of them black out like that. 

Once the song ended, there was sparse applause throughout the bar. Aubrey took a big bow and placed the microphone back on the stand. Aubrey looked through the song book again. 

"Dani, come sing something!" Aubrey shouted a bit too loud near the mic and made the few people in the bar recoil. Dani shook her head.

"God, no, please don't make me sing!" Dani slid down in her chair a bit.

"Please, Dani? Your voice is so pretty!" Aubrey was insistent, and Dani realized that her begging onstage was probably more embarrassing than actually singing. She sighed and stood up and walked up onstage. She took the book from Aubrey and made her selection. She went with one of her favorite songs from when she first came to Kepler. Aubrey sat down at their table and was excitedly bouncing in her chair. The song started with a soft orchestral opening, and then Dani began to sing.

"Hold me close and hold me fast  
This magic spell you cast  
This is la vie en rose" 

Dani's voice echoed throughout the bar and she looked down at Aubrey, who was wide-eyed with a big grin. Dani smiled and sang the next verse.

"When you kiss me heaven sighs  
And though I close my eyes  
I see la vie en rose"

Dani smiled. This song held such fond memories for her, and it felt so good to sing it again. She was glad she came up onstage.

"When you press me to your heart  
I'm in a world apart  
A world where roses bloom"

Aubrey pulled her phone out and turned it on before swaying it like she was at a concert, which made Dani laugh. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes before her favorite verse.

"And when you speak, angels sing from above  
Everyday words seem to turn into love songs  
Give your heart and soul to me  
And life will always be  
La vie en rose" 

Dani continued singing, and as she sang, a tear fell down her face. Then another. And another. Soon a flood of tears was cascading, but she kept singing. Aubrey just stared at her, amazed and still pretty drunk. As Dani sang the final verse, she opened her eyes and put a hand to her cheek. She wiped off some tears and then just stared at her wet hand as the outro for the song played. Aubrey stood to her feet and began cheering wildly, and the few people in the bar were cheering pretty loudly too. They seemed impressed, but Dani didn't notice. She just stared at her hand she began to remember. She saw the fire, she saw Aubrey, she saw Aubrey's mother. She started to gasp as she dropped the microphone and ran to the bathroom. She slammed the door open and ran into a stall and locked it. 

"Oh god not now," she choked out through sobs. "Please stop thinking about this now," She begged herself. She braced her arms on the stall door and just sobbed. After a moment she heard the bathroom door open and she heard Aubrey's voice.

"Oh god Dani I'm sorry I made you sing but your song was so pretty," Aubrey stumbled into the bathroom. Dani held her breath and Aubrey made her way to her stall and knocked. 

"No, Aubrey, you didn't do anything wrong," Dani whispered quietly. "I just . . . I don't know."

"Are you on your period? Wait . . . Do Sylphs get periods? Shit, that's rude, I'm sorry." Aubrey rambled for a moment, which made Dani chuckle quietly. "Do you need a hug? I can give good hugs." Dani sighed and wiped away her tears before opening the stall and wrapping her arms around Aubrey. Aubrey squeezed tight and swayed Dani back and forth a bit. Dani pulled back and gave Aubrey a kiss.

"I think we should get back to the lodge. I could stand a nice hot soak in the springs." Dani smiled and nodded her head slightly. 

"Sounds like a plan, Stan," Aubrey said with the addition of finger guns.

"Alrighty. Give me a moment to clean myself up. I'll be right out." Dani said and reciprocated the finger guns. Aubrey smiled and stepped out of the bathroom, and once she was gone Dani dropped her smile. She grabbed a paper towel to wipe her eyes and pulled out her phone. She dialed and put the phone up to her ear. It rang for a moment before she heard a hello. "Hey, Mama. I got something I need to talk to you about. Alone. Can I come to your room later tonight?"

"Sure, Dani. Is everything okay?" Mama sounded tired. Dani hoped she didn’t wake her up.

"Not really. I tell you about it later." Dani stared at her puffy eyes and her red face in the mirror. 

"Okay, I'll talk to you later. Bye." Mama responded hesitantly.

"Bye." Dani put her phone away and sighed. She headed out of the bathroom where Aubrey was sitting at a nearby table. Aubrey stood up and stumbled a little bit, then gave Dani a thumbs up.

"You ready?" Aubrey asked.

"Yes, but I'm driving. Gimme the keys." Dani held out her hand. Aubrey nodded and handed them over. On their way out Dani paid their bill and left. 

The ride back was quiet. Music played on the radio and Aubrey passed out shortly after they got in the car. Dani stared at the road, her mind racing. How was she going to explain this to Mama? How was she going to explain this to Aubrey? 

"Fuck," Dani whispered to herself. Aubrey was in the middle of a hunt, how was Dani going to explain this to Duck? He seemed to really care about Aubrey, he would notice that something's up. She shook her head. She couldn't worry about Duck now. She had to figure it out with Mama first. Dani took a deep breath. One step at a time. 

They pulled up at the lodge and Dani turned the truck off. She nudged Aubrey to wake her up, but she didn't stir. Dani sighed and got out of the truck and went to the passenger seat, then picked Aubrey up and carried her inside and up to her room. She tucked her into bed, gave her a kiss on the forehead, and left the room. After letting out a sigh, she made her way to Mama's room. Dani stopped outside the door and ran her hands through her hair and took a deep breath before knocking on the door. After a moment, Mama opened the door.

"Hey, Dani. Come on in." Mama stepped back and motioned Dani inside. Dani walked in and sat down on the couch. Mama came and sat in the recliner across from her. "What's up? You sounded really freaked on the phone." Dani shook her head.

"Mama, I did something bad."


End file.
